The Imposter Syndrome has often been written about, and for good reason—it is still very common. I often see it with my coaching clients, whether they are individuals recently attaining a C-suite position or engineers now managing people. Imposter Syndrome is a wave of self-doubt in which individuals often feel like imposters or frauds in their position, even though they have accomplished great things. It can be debilitating and can lead to feelings of anxiety and low self-esteem.
I myself have had my turn experiencing this syndrome. After leading Acushnet Company’s Custom Golf Ball Operations for 7 years, I was promoted to head up the largest-volume golf ball manufacturing plant for Acushnet, making almost 1 million golf balls every day. The Custom Ball business was a fast-paced service business that presented many logistical challenges. This golf ball factory, however, was much different and represented pure manufacturing, with sophisticated equipment, automation, complex engineering, and a variety of materials. With no experience, I walked into leading a staff of 8 direct reports and a total staff of over 500. Initially, I had very little understanding of the process. I remember the day my quality leader told me that we were shutting down part of the process for a defect called “distortion” and I had no clue what he was talking about. There were even product quality defects that I didn’t understand! I definitely had the sense that I was an imposter. Later in my career, I had this experience again when I was asked to lead a start-up of a golf-ball factory in Asia, with my only international experience being vacations to Canada. In the end, both of these imposter syndrome experiences were successful for me, and they will be for you too if you follow these tips on making the transition to your new role.
Imposter Syndrome is a very real and common phenomenon, so don’t be afraid to recognize it in yourself. It may help you to talk about your feelings of Imposter Syndrome with someone else or even write them down in a journal.
You have achieved a lot, which is why your organization is placing its trust in you. Leverage your past successes to bolster confidence in yourself and your ability to learn. It is this ability to learn and adapt, not the pure knowledge that you have already developed, that will help you succeed. Most people advise trying to ignore the doubt and just push forward. In his book, “Think Again”, Adam Grant points out that you should welcome this doubt. Recognizing your limitations will motivate you to work harder. This doubt will also bring a humbleness that will help you see things with a fresh perspective and ask questions that others are not asking.
Although you have self-doubt, you still want to convey self-confidence. This is definitely not easy, but it is essential. Your team does not expect you to have all the answers, but they do expect you to be confident in yourself, your capacity to learn, and your ability to lead. Recognize the superpowers that you bring to the team. For me, in the golf ball factory scenario, I didn’t know the manufacturing process, but I knew that I could see through the noise, provide organizational skills, and help prioritize and align the team towards objectives.
Although the team will not expect you to have all the answers, you must realize that you are getting on a moving bus that is most likely already going very fast. Identify the 3 to 5 things currently on your plate that you need to focus on. It would be great if this were a conversation with your boss even before you start your new role. When problems arise, you will also need to be cognizant of when to ask questions that may slow the process down and when to let the team proceed ahead. To do this, you will need to utilize your active-listening skills and intuition regarding the urgency and magnitude of the challenge. If it appears that the team feels they have the situation under control, you can defer learning about it for another day. Alternatively, if there is confusion on the team as to how to move forward and the impact of the issue seems significant, you will have to bring the group together and have them get you up to speed
At higher leadership levels, no one will provide you with the training path to become proficient in your new role. Craft your own development plan. This could include reading up on relevant topics related to the job or attending webinars and courses that sharpen your skillset and build confidence. In my golf ball factory scenario, I planned “job shadow” days where I scheduled two-hour blocks of time with many of the jobs in the plant to better understand what they did and the challenges they faced. I also scheduled random “rap” sessions with cross-sections of the population to understand their concerns. Suppliers can also be a great source of knowledge.
Although new positions are exciting and challenging, they also provide sources of great stress. Manage yourself to win the marathon, not the sprint. Allocate some time to do what you enjoy, and also exercise, meditate, or do whatever is part of your self-care regimen. Lastly, although you may work harder than usual during these transitions, do your best to manage work/life boundaries.
Imposter syndrome is a real phenomenon, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. By understanding the power of your brain and managing your presence with confidence, laser-focusing on priorities, committing to self-learning, and practicing self care—you can overcome Imposter Syndrome and reach success in any area of life. Take action today by reflecting on these suggestions and implementing them into your transition plan. With dedication comes results!